Sylvania



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheen 1.

' A. 82; L. L. BENTLEY.

BRAKING AND SGUTGHING MACHINE.

No. 428,663. Patented May 27, 1890.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

A. 8:; L. L. BENTLEY BRAKING AND SOUTGHING MACHINE.

No. 428,663. Patented May 27, 1890.

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ABRAM BENTLEY AND LOUIS L. BENTLEY, OF NElV BRIGHTON, PENN- SYLVANIA.

-BRAK|NG AND SCUTCHING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 428,663, dated May 27, 1890. Application filed October 1, 1889. $eria1No.'325,650. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ABRAM BENTLEY and LOUIS L. BENTLEY, citizens of the United States, and residents of New Brighton, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Braking and Scutching Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to machines for braking and scutching flax, jute, and similar fibers, and has for its object to provide a machine by means of which the fibers may be subjected to the braking and scutching treatment in one continuous operation and in such a manner as to leave the fiber in-good condition for the subsequent uses.

To these ends our invention consists in a combined brake and scutching machine, constructed substantially as hereinafter pointed out.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a side view of a machine embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively front and edge views of one form of brake device, and Fig. 5 shows a form of clamp which we prefer to use.

Referring to the drawings, A is the frame of the machine, which may be of any desired construction; but we have shown it as being substantially rectangular in shape and provided with. an upward extension or yoke A, forming an opening or passage A lengthwise through the machine. Secured on both sides of this opening are the plates or bars B, which. form the slideway, and these are preferably arranged in a horizontal plane 1n the first part of the machine,where thebraking 1S done, While at the rear part of the machine, where the scutching is done, the slideway B is inclined upward. This slideway can be ofany desired form and configuration, but preferably is composed of angle-pieces b, as of iron, arranged to form a horizontal groove or passage to receive the supports or extensions of the clamp O. This clamp may be of any ordinary form, but we have found that illustrated in the drawings to be effective and well adapted for this purpose; and this consists of two plates 0 0, between which the flax or other material is placed and having a screw-bolt c to secure the parts together to hold the material. Extending through the upper portions of the plates are projections or bolts 0 which form bearings or supports for the clamp and travel in the grooved or recessed way. o have shown two projections or pins on each side of the clamp, as by this construction the clamp will ride freely and smoothly through the grooves in the slideway and maintain the material being operated upon in proper relations to the brake and scutching devices.

In order that the clamp with its material may pass through the machine at a proper rate, weprovide some means for propelling the clamps, and we have shown chains D, arranged in the grooves of the way and each passing over a drum or roller D, back under the slideway over a roller (1 and thence around a roller D and into the slideway again. These chains may be of any desired construction suitable to propel the clamps through the slideway; but we have shownaportion of the links, as cl, formed with notches arranged to engage and support the projections or pins 0 of the clamp, and it will be evident that it is only necessary to place the clamp in the slideway with the pins resting in the notches when the weight of the material and clamp, together with the force of the device operating upon the material, will tend to keep the clamp securely in place.

The roller D is mounted in adjustable bearings, so as to maintain a proper tension of the chain. These bearings may be of any well-known and usual construction, and, as shown, each bearing has a lug through which passes a set-screw (Z and on both sides of the said lug are nuts working on the screw (1 By means of these nuts and screws the adjustment of the roller D is effected.

The flax or other material is preferably clamped about midway of its length and the clamps placed in position on the chains with one portion of the material hanging down below the slideway and the other portion extending above the slideway, and in this way it is drawn through the machine by the chains, being subjected to the brake and scutching operations hereinafter described. When it reaches the rear of the machine, it may be returned to the front end by moons of a slideway or inclined plane arranged on the side of the machine (and not shown) in the usual way, or when two machines are used together they can be arranged end for end, so thatthe clamp and its contained material may be removed from the rear end of one machine and immediately placed upon the chains in the front end of the adjacent machine. It will be understood that after the brakin and scutehing is accomplished on one end of the fibers the same operation is performed on the other end of the same fibers.

Mounted at each side of the slideway is a series of vibrating frames E, shown as pivoted at the bottom of the frame, and while these may be of various constructions we profer to make them with the two arms or legs E, supporting an upper frame-work E and this upper frame-work carries the braking devices. These devices may be in the form of a series of pins 0, Fig. 4, or longitudinal gill-sticks c, and these may have straight or waved edges, as desired, depending upon the character of material being treated. These frames E, four of which are shown on each side of the slideway, are arranged to be rapidly vibrated back and forth, and we have shown cranks or eccentrics F, mounted on the shaft F and arranged,preferably,so that the frames on one side will reach the extremes of theirmovement backward or forward successively, while the frames directly opposite each other will reach the extremes of their forward movement simultaneously, the pins or gillsticks being arranged in the complementary frames to interlock, so that every portion of the fiber will be subjected to their action. By thus arranging each complementary pair so that the pins or gills will interlock, and by arranging the successive pairs with their pins or sticks at a slightly different elevation, all portions of the flax or other material are thoroughly perforated or disintegrated by the time it has passed through the four pairs of frames, although of course we do not limit ourselves to that particular number of frames, more or less being used, according to the charactor of the work being performed. After the flax has been submitted to the action of the brake mechanism it passes to the scutchingrollers G, which are shown as mounted on either side of the way and consisting of a series of arms 9, mounted on a shaft supporting bars 9 and carrying the boaters g at their outer ends, and these boaters may be of any usual or desired form, and the rollers are preferably arranged so that the respective bars 9 will interlock with the similar bars of the corresponding roller.

It will be understood that the slideway '3 is inclined in that portion of the machineadjaeent to the scutching-rollers, and this is an important feature of our inventiomas by this means the seutching rollers or boaters commence to act upon the tax or other material at a point near the clamp, and as the clamps progress through the machine the material is gradually raised and the flax is beaten or scutched from the center of the mass outward toward its end, and in this way we are onabled to thoroughly and perfectly clean the fiber without unduly breaking or injuring it, and the cleaning is effected by a progressive action from the center to the end of the mass.

The various parts of the machine are driven by suitable gearing, and we have shown the pulley ll receiving power from any suitable source, and this is shown mounted upon one of the shafts F, carrying the cranks or eccentrics and connected by suitable gears h to the other shaft F and the shafts of the seutching-rollers G. Power is transmitted from the shaft of one of the rollers ;G to the shaft 1, carrying a worm L, by means of a belt on the pulleys I, thereby operating a worm-wheel L, secured to the drum 1), and in order to allow free passage of the flax through the machine and transmit the motion to the other chain on the opposite side of the way we provide a gear-wheel K,.also connected to the drum, which engages with the gear-wheel J on the shaft J mounted in the upper portion of the extension A, and another gear-wheel J, mounted on said shaft J connects with the gear-wheel K to move the drum carrying the chain 011 that side of the frame in a manner well understood, so that both chains will travel at a uniform speed. As the chains return to the forward portion of the machine outside of the slideway, we preferably provide a plate or support L to hold them out of the way of the vibrating frames, although. we have found that this may be dispensed with in some instances, the guidepulleys (Z operating to maintain the chains in proper position.

The operation of the machine will be understood from the above description, and it will be seen that the flax or other material held by the clamps is drawn progressively through the machine and the lower portion thoroughly subjected to the braking treatment as the vibrating frames operate upon both sides of the mass, and then as it reaches the scutching device the mass is cleaned progrcssivel y from the center toward the ends as it is carried up the inclined portion of the slideway.

\Vhilc we have described what we consider to be the best embodiment of our invention, we do not limit ourselves to the precise arrangement of parts indicated, as they may be varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of our invention, and portions of our invention may be used either alone or in combination with other equivalent mechanisms; but,

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. The combination of the vibrating braking-frames, the rotary seutching-rollers, and a slideway arranged to convey the material past the frames and rollers, the slide being IIO 4. The frame having an upward extension forming a passage for the material, in combination with vibrating brake-frames, rotary scutching-rollers, and a slideway having the portion between the scutching rollers inclined, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ABRAM BENTLEY. LOUIS L. BENTLEY.

Witnesses:

E. AUTERWITH, O. H. CoRBUs. 

